


Gravitation

by subjunctive



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Infinity Gems, Multi, Post-Thor: The Dark World, Sedoretu, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-03
Updated: 2015-07-03
Packaged: 2018-04-07 01:17:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4244028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subjunctive/pseuds/subjunctive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You know as well as I do. He will return someday. He cannot be allowed to gather them. The results would be catastrophic."</p><p>Jane knew what he was saying: <i>unless someone else got to them first</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gravitation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jupeboxhero](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jupeboxhero/gifts).



> This was written in response to jupeboxhero's prompt "sedoretu," though I mashed it up with the canon universe in ways that may or may not be believable. :) Sedoretu is a poly marriage arrangement invented by Ursula LeGuin. If you're not familiar with it, I recommend checking the Fanlore primer [here](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Sedoretu) before the story for context.
> 
> In this arrangement, Jane and Loki (from Midgard and Jotunheim, respectively) are, of course, Evening/Evening, while Sif and Thor (Vanaheim and Asgard) are Morning/Morning.

Jane left for the observatory the minute it felt appropriate to do so. Amidst all the celebrating, drinking, fighting, and weeping, it was easy to slip to the edge of the room and out the great doors unnoticed.

It would have been nice to get out of this dress – too many layers for Jane's comfort – but her rooms were in the opposite direction, and she would rather see the stars first.

The observatory was great and golden, silent and empty but for an array of devices and machines made for studying the stars. She couldn't operate one by herself, she was told; something about inherent magical resonance that was lacking in mere mortals. No one had actually said the word "mere," but in her opinion it was implied. She was missing the right kind of electromagnetic field, she guessed, like Thor's hammer. She touched one anyway. It stayed still and dark and smooth under her hand.

Eventually she'd figure it out. She picked up her heavy skirt and went out to the balcony. Night had already fallen, bathing the city in a velvet darkness that seemed to press down with an unimaginable weight. For a moment it felt so heavy she was sure she couldn't breathe; then she took in a deep breath and let out in a long sigh, leaning against the rail.

"So weary already? But the night's only just begun."

She hadn't heard him approach. He must have followed her. She had no idea what he wanted from her; was that a thrill of excitement or fear? "Loki."

He came out to her, footfalls silent as ever. His gaze swept over the domed city, sparkling in the moonlight, then came to rest on hers.

"As beautiful as ever."

"Are you talking about Asgard?"

He was innocently puzzled, which meant he was lying. "What else would I mean?"

Jane worried the end of one of the many small braids in her hair. It came loose, and she found herself pulling it apart twist by twist, until it came undone in loose waves. Someone, one of the maids, had put a lot of work into her hair that morning. Jane was troubled by how little she cared.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

His smile was thin and his eyes narrow. "I came after you. Abandoning the celebrations so quickly?"

She rolled her eyes. Like they had a mind of their own, her fingers found another braid. "Come on."

He turned his back to the city and leaned against the railing. "Is a man not allowed to show concern for his sister-in-law?"

"He would have to actually care about his sister-in-law first." Or sort-of-wife, or whatever she was to him in their weird little arrangement. It was kind of a mystery to everyone, from what little she understood; Thor admitted he'd heard of it only in the oldest legends, and Sif knew even less. Only Loki had seemed to have any idea what they were doing, presenting ancient text after text and every legal precedent found only in the most arcane scrolls when he had come to Odin with his plan.

The ostensible goal had been to unite their realms against Thanos. It was Jotunheim who had held out, Asgard's ancient enemy threatening to ally against them with Thanos, or simply leave them to die. The possibility of the ritual intermarriage had been raised as a joke, and then a promise – if they could find a willing frost giant, Helblindi boomed to raucous laughter, Jotunheim would agree to the alliance.

She remembered Loki's smile at that comment, sharp and bitter even in victory.

Jane was sure Loki had some other hidden agenda in mind. This was the guy who had faked his own "heroic" death and then came back to taunt Thor because he couldn't handle the lack of attention.

He placed a hand over his heart, so insincere he had to be doing it on purpose to amuse her. She pressed her lips together against the threat of a smile and turned toward the city.

"You wound me, dearest Jane."

"Yeah, I believe you."

"But truly: what troubles you?" His tone was light, innocuous. Harmless, even, if she didn't know better. She reminded herself that he once led an alien invasion to her planet and practically leveled Puente Antiguo. Loki, destroyer of cities. No conversation was ever unimportant or forgotten to him, Thor had warned her.

Jane fidgeted, her fingers tapping the balcony rail. "I'm just tired."

"So you came here, instead of your bed?"

"How is it any of your business?" she snapped, knowing it was a mistake.

"It's not," he said agreeably. He was so calm. Her frustration grew. "I only wonder if you feel as restless as I do."

"Restless?" Her eyes tried to seek out something interesting in the cityscape to capture her attention, but all her focus was on his words.

"That's what I said."

She should ignore him and his cryptic comments. That would be the smart thing to do. But . . . "Why are _you_ restless?"

"Do you not feel it yourself? The danger?"

The Aether had left something behind like a residue, a sticky shadow she didn't dare touch for fear she would be sucked into it again. But she could feel its weak pulse beating. It was still out there, along with all the other Gems. Each had been scattered to a different corner of the universe. Waiting for a hand, or a host.

It called out to her sometimes, in her dreams, in the dark where there was nothing else to block it out. It had to call to Thanos, too, wherever he was.

He interpreted her silence as agreement. "Then you know it is not over, whatever Asgard's bards might sing about this day."

"You don't know that."

"You're not such a fool. Not like the others, celebrating down there, drinking until they pass out for relief and exhaustion."

Flattery. She took refuge in sarcasm. "Yeah, you've always been really impressed by my brain."

He didn't deny her point, shrugging one shoulder smoothly. "I only mean that you've experienced what they haven't."

That much was true.

"They want to forget. They want to believe their victory complete and total." His voice had taken on an urgent, low quality. He leaned toward her so that their heads were bowed together. "You have felt such a power running through your veins. You know better than anyone how untrue that is."

"Beating Thanos back isn't the same as defeating him," she said reluctantly.

Loki looked straight at her, never wavering. She found herself unable to look away from his gaze. "He'll come back with twice the army he had before. He will never let this temporary defeat stand. His ego won't let him."

"Sounds like someone I know," she muttered, and was pleased to see his eyes flash.

"Jane." His voice had gone syrupy and liquid, his only concession to anger. "Tell me, what do you think will be his first task now, after his defeat?"

He would try to get the stones. It was what she would do, if she were an evil, indestructible space warlord with a grudge. She pressed her lips together, looking out over the city.

"You know as well as I do. He will return someday. He cannot be allowed to gather them. The results would be catastrophic."

Jane knew what he was saying: _unless someone else got to them first_.

"Why are you telling me all this?" There was a hint of fear in her voice she couldn't disguise.

Immediately he shed his serious expression and donned a light-hearted smile. "I'm merely making conversation, sister-dearest."

Loki never did _merely_ anything.

"You missed one," he added softly, and then before she could move his hands were at her hair, unraveling the last braid. She jerked in surprise, but his hands were unexpectedly gentle. The last braid fell free, but he didn't lower one arm; instead he touched her chin with his thumb, turning her face slightly so that their noses almost brushed. Nearly close enough to kiss.

"Jane?" called a loud, strong voice from inside the observatory.

Immediately Jane jumped away, putting a couple of feet between herself and Loki. She hadn't even realized they were standing so close together. His hand fell away from her immediately.

Sif emerged from the darkness out onto the balcony, rearing back at the sight of Loki before eyeing him warily. "Miss Foster," she said, formal but not quite frosty.

Jane's heart was yammering a mile a minute, even though she had nothing to hide. "Sif, uh, hi."

"It's lovely to see you, Sif," added Loki, unfazed by the lack of greeting.

Sif's lips pursed, and she stepped forward, angling her body between them. Her hand fell heavy on Jane's arm. "Come. I think it best we leave."

"But we were having such a nice chat," said Loki. 

Sif shot him a poisonous look over her shoulder. Her hand squeezed Jane's elbow. "I hope you're not thinking of breaking the rules, trickster."

Jane flushed and hoped the night sky would cover it up. She hadn't even remembered that. They were both from evening realms; they couldn't touch each other – not like that. Not that she thought that was where he was going.

"Why, I would never. I'm hurt, Sif, truly. After all the time and effort I spent setting up this little arrangement, for the good of us all, you think I would waste it all by committing sacrilege?"

"You have your own reasons, I'm sure," she said tightly.

His voice deepened into something mellifluous. "Well, of all people I'm sure _you_ could relate. Always looking but never being able to touch. It must be difficult, Lady Sif, to be so close and yet _so_ far."

"Loki –" started Jane, pushed to discomfort by the things they never talked about.

Sif huffed a sharp breath and tugged on Jane's arm, moving swiftly inside. Jane glanced over her shoulder, but Loki didn't step in. Instead he inclined his head toward her with a significant look: _think about what I've said_. Her skin was still buzzing where he'd touched her.

"You don't need to drag me," snapped Jane as quietly as she could, pulling her arm away. Loki's chuckle drifted low behind them; she had given him another weapon.

"I apologize if I gave offense," said Sif stiffly as soon as they were out of earshot. "But you must understand –"

"Yeah, yeah, _I know_. What does everyone think, that I'm an idiot? I was _there_ on Earth when he invaded, and I was there on Svartalfheim when he faked his death, and Puente Antiguo when he sent the Destroyer, and then Ragnarok – I'm not stupid." The words tumbled out of her troubled mouth. Jane took a deep breath. "I was going to bed soon anyway. You don't need to worry about me."

Sif's mouth twisted. Probably she didn't like being reminded that she shared a bed with Thor, while Sif couldn't. After that little display Jane couldn't find it in herself to sympathize much.

"I hope to see you at the rest of the celebrations this week," Sif said finally, looking more composed and forcing a smile. "We have a great victory to commemorate. We all deserve a break."

Jane's stomach sank as she remembered Loki's words. "Right. A victory. Then I guess I'll see you . . ."

Sif nodded and turned away. Her footsteps disappeared down the hall. In the darkness of her chambers, Jane felt more strongly the Aether's weak tug at her breastbone. If she followed the tether of it down to the other end, if she allowed herself to go down that path, she would find it first. Before Thanos or any other power-mad despots could get their hands on it. Before Loki, if she wanted. They would all be safe. She wouldn't feel so agitated and uncertain, balancing precariously on the knife's edge while waiting for the next danger to come along.

Loki's words had weakened her. She heaved off the dress with a gasp and threw herself into bed. Pulling the blanket over her head, Jane resolved not to think about what he'd said, or how he'd touched her, or whether he was right. 

Sleep was a long time in coming.


End file.
